Car-coupling



(No Model.) 2 sheets-sheet 1. P. C, BAILEY. GAR GOUPLING.

No. 878,181.v Patented Jan. 1o, 1888.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

P. C.. BAILEY.

GAR GOUPLING.

110.376,181. Patented Jan. 10, 1888.

nllll APATENT Y trici-,

FRED. C. BAILEY, OF RIB LAKE, WISCONSIN.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATIQN :forming part of Letters Patent No. 376,131, dated January10, 1888.

Application filed July i6, 1887. Serial No. 244,527. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, FRED. C. BAILEY, a citizen of the United States,residing at Rib Lake, in the county of Taylor and State of VVisconsin,have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Car-Couplings; and Ido hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My improved car-coupling comprises a pair of draw-heads, cach having vintheir outer ends a central slot or recess adapted to receive an ordinarylink and a vertical holeto receive a I5 link-pin, a longitudinal slot orrecess near one i side,within which is a spring-supported latch, and anoutwardly-extendinghook near its opposite side, so that upon a pair ofsuch drawheads coming together 'the hooks on the opposing draw-headswill enter the slots opposite thereto and engage with the piv'otedspringheld latches therein, and a vertical rod or lever held in aguide-plate secured to the top of and extending outwardly beyond therear of each car, said lever being at itslower end connected with therear portion of the pivoted and spring latch, so as, upon said leverbeing pressed down, to rock said latch vertically and release it fromthe hook in engagement therewith and uncouple the cars, each of saidlevers having at its upper end an arm, which extends rearwardly asufficient distance to permit of its being grasped by a brakeman on theadjacent car.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents, in side elevation, aportion of a pair of cars with my improved coupling and r uncouplingdevices thereon, the full lines representing the devices in couplingposition, the dotted lines representing them as uncoupled. Fig. 2represents a, detail perspective view of one of the draw-heads. sectionon the line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4t is a detail viewV representing theadaptability of my draw-head for use in connection with a car having anordinary link-coupling.

1 represents a i'reightcar, to the top of which is attached, in anysuitable manner-as by screws or bolts-a metal plate, 2, which 5oextends-rearwardlyl beyond the car a suitable distance, as representedin the drawings.

Fig. 3 represents aV Near the rear endthis plate is provided with avertical slot or hole, 3, which serves as a guideway for theunconpling-lever et, which at its lower end is connected with thecouplinglatch and at its upper end is provided with arrearwardly-extending horizontal arm, 5, supported ou and braced to thevertical part of the lever by a brace, 6. This horizontal arm 5 of theuncoupling-lever extends rearwardly 5o a sufficient distance to admit ofits being readily grasped by the brakeman on the adjacent car, so thathe can from any one car uncouple not only the car upon which he is, vbutalso the two cars coupled therewith.

My improved draw-heads 7 each have near one side a hook, 8,- whichprojects outwardly from the face of the draw-head and has beveled upperand under faces, '-9 10, to facilitate its engagement with the couplingdevice'. 7o- Near the opposite side of the draw-head is a longitudinalslot, 1l, having a beveled bottom face, 12, up which the beveled underface of the clamping-hook 8 slides into engagement with the hooked latch13, which at its rear end is pivoted within the rear portion of the slot12, and is supported therein on a coiled or other suitable spring, 14,having bearing at its respective ends respectively upon the bottom oftheslot 12 and against the under rear 8o face of the latch 13, so as tonormally hold the rear of said latch in raised position, andconsequently project the front end of said latch downward.

As represented in the drawings, the position of each member of thecoupling is the same on each car when viewed from the samedirection-that is to say, when facing the end of either car suppliedwith my coupling device the coupling-hook 8 will appear cn either theleft or right'hand, as the case may be, and the latch 13 will be on theopposite hand or side. Consequently, when two cars having myimprovements thereon come together, the coupling-hook 8 of one car willbe opposite the slot l2 and latch 13 on the opposing car. Therefore,upon the respective draw-heads coming together, the hooks 8 on therespective draw heads will be automatically forced within the opposingrecesses 12, and will push up the front ends of the opposite latches,13, the springs 14 of which, when IOO the hook has passed in asufficient distance, will then force the respective latches intoengagement with said hooks, thereby automatically coupling the ears.

Vhen it is desired to uncouple a car, all that is necessary is to graspthe arm 5 and exert a downward pressure thereon, which act will forcedown the vertical portion of the lever 4, whose lower end is connectedwith or rests upon the top rear faceof the pivoted and spring supportedlatch and cause the depression ot' the rear end of said latch and theconsequent raising of its hooked front end, thereby releasing it fromengagement with the hook 8, whereupon the ears will be freeto moveapart.

In order to adapt my drawheads for use not only with otherdraw-headsofsimilar construction, but also with cars having the ordinarylink-coupling, I provide the face of each drawhead between the hook Sand slot 12 with a slot or recess, 15, to receive such link 16J and witha vertical slot or hole, 17, through which au ordinary coupling-pin maybe passed, after the manner represented in Fig. 4 ofthe drawlugs.

The hooks 8 are removably held within the draw-heads by suitablevertical bolts, and said hooks may be removed from the draw-heads bysimply withdrawing said bolts whenever it may be desired-as, forinstance, when it is desired to use lnydraw-heads with link-couplingsonly,or when it is desired to renewa hook.

Having now described my invention, what I claim is 1. The car-couplingherein described, comprising a pair ol' drawheads, each having a to saidlatch, and having at its upper end a horizontal arm, which extendsrearwardly a sufiieientdistanceto permitofitsbeiug grasped from eitherof the adjacent coupled cars, and a plate secured to the roof of a carand extending rearwardly thereof, and having a guideslot in its outerend to receive and guide the latchoperating rod or lever, substantiallyas and for the purposes set forth.

2. In a car-coupling, the combination of a pair of d raw-heads, cachhaving near one edge of its face a coupling hook and near its otheredgea longitudinal slot, a latch rearwardly pivoted within said slot, aspring supporting the rear end of said latch, and a'verticallatchreleasing rod or lever connected at its lower end with said latch,and having at its upper end a rearwardlyextending arm adapted, asexplained, to be operated from either of a pair of adjacent cars, allsubstantially as and for the purposes set forth.

In testimony whereot` I afix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FRED. C. BAILEY.

\Vitncsscs:

XV. E. YOUNG, GEORGE FRirz.

